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Late For Tea At The Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams Of My Iraqi Family (2011)

by Tamara Chalabi(Favorite Author)

3.66 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0007249314 (ISBN13: 9780007249312)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

HarperCollins

review 1: A very well written book telling the family story since the early 1900s along with the recent but brief history of Iraq. The focus is on how way of life has developed for three generations. The details on the pre 1960s Iraq was most interesting as the revolution brought quite an abrupt change to the lives of many Iraqis. The books also provides an insight into life in exile and the issue of belonging. I look forward to reading more of Tamara's future work. An enjoyable read :-)
review 2: I was surprised and delighted by the view of Iraq offered by Tamara Chalabi, daughter of Ahmad Chalabi, a leading opposition figure to Saddam Hussein's regime. She begins her tale of history and family in the early 1900's, with her great-grandfather, the influential Abdul Husse... morein and the British occupation of Mesopotamia during World War I; from which Modern day Iraq was born. In the style of Iraq's oral traditions, the memoir encompasses the points of view and life events of several of Chalabi's relatives including her father, aunts, grandfather and her grandmother, Bibi. (Who I loved from her initial appearance in the family's story.) While she tells of the events occurring around the family in Iraq, the heart and soul of the novel lies within the lives, loves and losses of the family.This story is neither a dry historical look at the country's past nor a boring slideshow of a family's history. To me, this memoir is a celebration of a family and the country they loved, were forced from and their eventual homecoming many years later. A masterful weaving of Chalabi's personal and political feelings, it offers insights into the hows and whys of Iraq's past as well as its current situation. It is an eye opening and insightful look at a misunderstood country and its people, which I would recommend wholeheartedly to those interested in history, the middle east or just a good read. less

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